Tag Archives: halloween

Gentle Readers, so much for good intentions! Apologies for the delayed posting, but this weekend has been slam-packed with fall festivities. Let’s run down the list, shall we: pumpkin selecting, pumpkin carving, costume provisioning, bowling with friends (do not take on POTUS2040), Neko Case, soccer, and the N.C. State Fair!

Fear the pumpkin uprising!

We are full up to our eyeballs with pumpkin and deep-fried, shaken and not stirred. Thank goodness it’s a school holiday so I can recover. As a result of all of this, you’ll find a grocery list that’s light on pumpkin but otherwise very heavy on vegetables and ease of use.

Dinner Grits, an idea whose time has come.

I found that we were less crazed about the deep-fried aspects of the fair this year. Perhaps because we haven’t held back the previous years, the novelty has worn off in favor of rides and games. However, I continue to display hound-dog like accuracy in discerning one fried food from another, and could detect the difference in funnel cake vs Krispy Kremes at several hundred feet and in an competitive smell environment. It’s a gift and a curse.

We tried the new deep-fried red velvet Oreos with cream cheese drizzle. Good, but not my favorite fried.

None of us were interested in the Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe, the new offering at the fair this year. They need to work on the KK McGriddle–think doughnuts and pig people, not cow! We also bid farewell to The Pork Chop Shop.

Farewell Pork Chop Shop. #blessyourheart

In a testimony to my kids’ amazing manners, we were offered free sheets of ride tickets not once, but twice, from folks who had to leave before using their allotment up. Thank you to both donors–you are reinforcing the use of “please and thank you” with several underlines and an exclamation mark or two.

Free ride tickets paved the road here: the swings.

But I digress. On to this week’s recovery Weekly Menus:

Weekly Menus: 10/27/2013

And the Four-Square Grocery Shopping List:

The Four-Square Grocery Shopping List: 10/27/2013

Which all means:

Sunday: Spinach Quesadillas
My pantry staple, and a good quick end to a long day at the fair. We paired them with homemade refried black beans (which really just means rinsing a can of black beans and heating with some salsa of your choosing, mashing a few of the beans with the back of a spoon to thicken the texture, and then thinning and simmering with a bit of water).

Monday: Salmon and Couscous
Did I mention I had to get my cholesterol checked soon? Every year right after the fair. Sigh.

Tuesday: Nachos
A great way to use up a little of this and that. We have another pack of veggie chili to go. When you add mushrooms and avocado, you can make something pretty interesting.

Veggie Nachos Perfected! With pickled jalepeno on top, for good measure.

Wednesday: Thai Tofu
I have a jarred sauce I need to try. I’m going for broke and pairing with the much maligned tofu.

Thursday: Tuna Melts!
High protein and interesting courtesy of being open faced and sprinkled with cheese, we go for a bit of hot sauce kick and a lot of pickle relish.

Peanut Butter Tuna Salad Being Invented

Friday: Pasta Primavera or Omelets
Read: I need to use up little bits of vegetables accumulated during the week.

Saturday: Dine Out!
Adventure dining awaits, I look forward to see what it will be!

Gentle Readers, this week I must start with a mea culpa. I was traveling last week, and forgot what day it was until I was back, and thus missed the Wednesday publishing cycle. From the amount of mail I received on the topic (none), I can tell there was a public outcry. So I will publish said Smoothie article this week. Meanwhile, look what I got to eat last week:

Biscotti and Cookie Platter at Babbo in NYC. OMG good.

Yes, it was that delicious. A tip for anyone who is in NYC and hasn’t been to Babbo. If you go when it opens, right at 5 pm, you can snag a seat at the bar and eat. Highly recommend the pasta tasting menu or just eating around the menu at your leisure. Don’t skip the Brussels sprouts and the biscotti.

The Beer Festival Tasting Glass. Durham, NC

But I digress. My real life is quite a bit less glamorous but equally delicious. This week I went to my first beer tasting. I learned that there are many horrific beers in the world that taste like fruits and lawn clippings. I also found quite a few local brews that were delightful, and an interesting Pecan number that I’ll need to investigate. Shockingly, my favorite part was the food, especially the pairings, such as provided by my friend Carrie from G2B Gastropub. The andouille sausage with a little mustard was ideal beer food.

The inimitable Chef Carrie from G2B Gastropub in Durham, NC!

Okay, enough, I actually do cook sometimes too. The tasting of all the pumpkin things continues. A full report is coming soon.

And the Four-Square Grocery list (a little lean as I use up what’s here and plan to shop more heavily next week before I travel):

The Four-Square Grocery Shopping List: 10/6/2013

Which all translates to:

Sunday: Steak and potatoes
I’m feeling red meat today, and the weather is a little autumnal. Perhaps the potatoes will be sweet or an acorn squash instead. If you’re not tossing winter squash in your cart regularly, you’re missing out!

Monday: Veggie Chili
This keeps getting delayed in lieu of other fast meals that don’t generate leftovers, but I’m making it this time, even if I have to freeze it for later!

Tuesday: Omelets
These were such a huge hit the other night, complete with quick sauteed spinach and portobello mushrooms that we’re doing it again. TPCs Jr are huge mushroom fan, and we’re committed to trying all of the types. That’s our schtick.

Wednesday: Pizza!
We’ve got a social to attend, and well, we all love pizza. Honestly, I could eat it 3 times a day. In fact, I’ve had to add it to my things not to leave unattended in the house list, as I will eat cold pizza until I founder. It’s a different food group that hot pizza, and I actually prefer it.

Thursday: Salmon and Couscous
We have to get more healthy fat in our diets. Plus I need to try to stay smarter than my offspring. I plan to tell them this and serve myself the largest portion. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Friday: Mexican!
Probably burritos or quesadillas to accommodate the braced on, but we may be able to pull off nachos. Yum!

Saturday: Dine out!
So many possibilities, we often lament we only have 3 stomachs between us.

What do you do to prepare for a trip? Buy easy prep food, eat down the supplies? Share your tips in the comments area below!

Gentle Readers, seasonal eating is great, but rulebreaking also tastes delicious. Why store food or have pantry-safe items if not to violate the rules of the season? Enter Pumpkin Pancakes. Having developed a serious taste for the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake mix, and lacking any spare boxes, it was time to take action.

Adaptable Pumpkin Pancakes with a side of bacon and walnuts. Winning!

For those out there who are Halloween fanatics, rolling in pumpkin lattes and beers, this post is for you. Usually, I would tell you to avert your eyes, because I will not touch either of those beverages. Pumpkin, in my humble opinion, belongs in pies, custards, and pancakes. Especially pancakes.

I don’t drink pumpkin, as delightful as Harry Potter makes it seem. Maybe I’m Vitamin A deficient this week, but wow, these rocked. I ate the leftovers cold.

Adaptable Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

For the sake of testing, I used Trader Joe’s Pancake and Waffle Mix. Any pancake mix should work, or make your own and adapt from there.

Use the pumpkin puree, get orange pancakes!

To pumpkinize, make 12- 14 pancakes according to recipe (using about 2 cups of the pancake mix), adding 1/2 can pumpkin puree (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING, the plain stuff), 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (assuming a plain mix), and 2 Tablespoons sugar (I used vanilla sugar, because I can). You can omit oil in the recipe if you’d like, but I added a smidge for texture.

Vanilla Bean Buried in a Jar of Sugar, Voila, Vanilla Sugar

For those of you that insist on chocolate chips, you can add a handful of those too. I do not care for them in my pancakes.

The pumpkin pancake batter will be thick–you can thin with a bit of extra milk as desired.

We served with toasted walnuts and maple syrup, side of bacon. They were spicy (not overly, even with that much seasoning, but if your pumpkin pie spice is fresh, back it off a bit and smell the batter first), warm, and wonderfully orange. They aren’t as crispy as some pancakes, but they were fluffy and filling.

Gentle Readers, it promised to be another action-packed week here for Team Practical Cook. Leading off, Halloween. As the parent of two trick-or-treaters, I have optimize for last-minute costume prep AND a meal that will offset the sugar bomb that is to come.

This week is pretty straightforward due to pending travel. Our job will be to dutifully report on it. Game on.

Here’s how it’s shaking out, with this week’s Weekly Menus:

Weekly Menus: 10/28/2012

And the Four-Square Grocery Shopping List:

The Four-Square Grocery Shopping List: 10/28/2012

Which all means:

Sunday: Dine Out
Field Research in Progress!

Monday: Dine Out
I already know this will be the Whole Foods takeout meal. Nothing is easier while still taking a swing at healthy.

Tuesday: Salad for Dinner
I will transform Monday’s meal to sit atop the family salad that comes with.

Wednesday: Faux Nuggets and Broccoli
Vegetarian junk food and the vegetable they always eat. Some padding for the sugar bomb that is to come. Assuming we all still have power after the storm of the century. Again.

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner
Eggs work. We made some beautiful omelets last week. Well not at all beautiful, but stuffed full of vegetables, and that is attractive by itself.

Friday: Burgers
Learning that burger night is ideal to feed omnivores and veggies at the same time. Just put something different on each bun! Of course, the Juniors have gone crazy for Portobella Mushroom caps right now. Try them out if you haven’t. They work.

Saturday: Dine Out

What do you serve on Halloween to prevent sugar shock? Post your ideas in the comments section below!

Gentle Readers, this week is one of high strategy. We are somewhat between seasons, the weather has turned cold, and there’s more pantry and freezer clean-up to be done. The Practical Cook is making a concerted effort to run a kitchen with a lower inventory. No more Sam’s Club, limiting the use of coupons to items used, etc. I am hoping the leaner operating machine will leave me stocked but with more space, and ever more focused on the fresh right now.

So for this week, we’re eating down the inventory in anticipation of some upcoming travels.

Which means the Weekly Menus are as follows:

Weekly Menus: 10/30/2011

And the very lean-machine Four-Square Grocery List:

Four-Square Grocery List: 10/30/2011

Which all adds up to:

Sunday: Kale/Squash/Pasta
Perhaps together, perhaps as components, the pasta will be in a white sauce, possibly with a bit of lemon and rosemary. Sunday Dinner with the extended team, and I’m trying to sell Red Russian Kale, which I love and have in bulk.

Monday: Beans and Franklins
This is the name I gave homemade beans and franks as a child. This is strategy people. For those with kids (or who still are kids), this is a night where you want to serve something that has protein and gets eaten, because the sugar bomb is coming.

Tuesday: Leftover Surprise
See above.

Wednesday: Mexican
This is likely to be a casserole, but could also become quesadillas. I’ve been rocking th0se for lunch as well for the Juniors. Spinach ones made in a cast iron skillet. Hello iron.

Thursday: Frozen Pizza and Salad
This is preparation for travel day. We need simple and simple.

Friday: Dine Out
More to come on this. Let’s just say there’s going to be a serious and unique field research opportunity.

Saturday: Dine Out
See above. My lips are sealed until the Juniors are told. Too much excitement for one week may cause uncontrollable shrieking, mine.

What do you serve to clean out your cabinets, freezers, fridge? Share your secrets in the comments section below. Don’t make me start calling you out by faux name.